b. October 29, 1816, in Norwich, Connecticut; d. November 24, 1858, in Petersburg, Illinois. In 1842, Harris was admitted to the Virginia bar, and that same year, he moved to Petersburg, Illinois. Three years later, Harris was elected to the state senate but declined to take the position due to the outbreak of the Mexican war. Instead, he enlisted in the military as a private and was elected major of the Fourth Regiment of Illinois Volunteers. After returning from the war, Harris was nominated by the Democrats and successfully won election to Congress over his opponent Stephen T. Logan.